Under-fire Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, hosts of This Morning, were jeered by mourners for skipping the 13-hour wait to view the Queen laying in state.
The presenters were criticized on social media this week when a video appeared to show them cutting the line at Westminster Hall on September 16.
Holly and Phil have defended themselves by stating that they were there to report on the event for millions of others who were unable to attend in person.
Now it has been discovered that guests waiting to pay their respects to Her Majesty yelled at the pair as they entered the hall through the VIP entrance, with one witness claiming that there was “genuine animosity” for them.
Joe Tomkins, a builder from Nottingham, was angry when he reached the end of the line and saw the broadcaster waltzing past the mourners.
The 41-year-old, who had waited in line for 14 hours in subzero temperatures overnight, told The Sun: ‘They marched right by us and a few people began shouting.
People yelled, “Hey, Phil and Holly, get to the back of the line!” Phil smiled and looked about as if to say, “We can do whatever we want.”
It infuriated many people. People wondered, “How could they do this?” There was a great deal of animosity towards them, which was wrong.
Within the hall: Holly and Phil are facing increasing criticism over allegations that they “jumped the queue” at Westminster Hall; they dispute the allegations and assert that they were granted legal authorization to enter the hall.
Holly and Phil were captured on tape entering the hall through a door that was clearly labelled as non-public and believed to be the entry for media representatives.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were hesitant to deliver a public apology for “queue-gate” after receiving legal counsel, MailOnline has learned (seen on Thursday’s broadcast).
He continued, “People were exhausted, frustrated, and others were crying; we had to keep each other going; it was a laborious endeavor.” So, seeing those two cruise by without a care in the world infuriated us immensely.’
Mr. Tomkins said that this was in stark contrast to former player David Beckham, who was praised for waiting 13 hours in line with the general people to pay his respects, despite the fact that he could have obtained a VIP pass.
In a statement to The Sun yesterday night, an ITV representative refuted the charges, stating, “This narrative is not a fair and accurate picture of what transpired or the timing of that day.”
“Phillip and Holly did not pass by the queen’s casket. They were among a large number of broadcasters covering the death of the Queen.
In the meantime, a source from This Morning told the newspaper, “Phil and Holly stopped after the show to take photographs with many of the nice fans who requested.”
There was no animosity.
Since it was discovered that the duo did not line up with other mourners to enter Westminster Hall, there has been a clamor for them to be dismissed, with a petition demanding their dismissal exceeding 50,000 signatures.
This week on This Morning, the presenters appeared emotional and subdued, prompting TV insiders to express “severe concerns” for their well-being due to the response they have received.
Yesterday, it was discovered that the two wanted to apologize on live for “queue-gate” but were dissuaded by legal counsel.
ITV published a statement on Saturday, and Holly, 41, read it on Tuesday’s This Morning, but neither included the word “sorry” – a decision that enraged a great number of people.
Phillip appears glum on a night out with his daughter amidst a royal queuing storm.
By Katie Hind, Showbusiness Consultant Editor for the Daily Mail
Schofield (left), dressed impeccably in a grey sweater, trousers, and a black sweater, appeared to be deep in conversation with his daughter Molly (right) and her partner Will Grieveson at a restaurant near his west London residence.
Under-fire Phillip Schofield looks glum after an evening out with his daughter in the aftermath of the royal queue crisis.
In his first off-screen public appearance since he and This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby were accused of skipping the 13-hour line to see the Queen lying in state, the host appeared exhausted and despondent.
Schofield appeared to be deep in conversation with his daughter Molly and her partner Will Grieveson as they dined at a restaurant near his west London home. Schofield was attired in a grey sweater, trousers, and a black sweater
.
They dined in the restaurant until 11 p.m. on Wednesday, and it appeared that waiters remained to serve them.
Witnesses observed employees clearing tables and putting items away as Schofield, 60, and his daughter continued eating and drinking.
‘Five minutes after they departed, employees were also observed leaving for home. Perhaps they did not wish to rush Phil.’
Molly is a talent manager at the entertainment agency YMU, which has represented Schofield for more than two decades, thus “queue-gate” could have been a topic of discussion during the dinner. She also handles Davina McCall and Rochelle Humes, among others.
The next morning, Schofield was back on television with Miss Willoughby, 41, his co-star of 13 years on the ITV daytime show.
According to a person who spoke to MailOnline, “every word of the statement was analyzed.” It has spectacularly backfired in the end.
‘At first, Holly and Phillip were prepared to apologize if they had offended anyone, since they badly want to end the affair. But they were severely cautioned against taking this course of action.
Holly and Phil, both 60, rejected viewers’ assertions that they were “too posh to line” in the first broadcast of their show after the controversy erupted. They stated that they were in Westminster Hall on Friday “strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event.”
The audio further emphasized that we would never cut in line: “Please know that we would never cut in line.”
ITV has now doubled down in the row over footage that appeared to show them filing past the Queen’s coffin, but Holly has reportedly been hit particularly hard by online anger and believes they have been ‘left out to dry,’ according to sources.
The Mirror adds that channel executives have expressed “genuine and serious” worries for the presenters’ well-being in the wake of “relentless” internet harassment.
The popular TV hosts, who are reportedly paid as much as £600,000 for presenting the daytime show from Monday to Thursday, are facing growing outrage after images of them appearing to “skip the line” emerged on Friday, while tens of thousands of mourners waited patiently for more than 12 hours to pay their respects to Her Majesty.
Viewers commented that the hosts were “too fancy to queue,” and a change.org petition to fire the hosts has topped 50,000 signatures, indicating that viewers appear to reject the stars’ attempt to put an end to the incident.
On Tuesday, however, fans became concerned when they observed that Holly was “on the point of tears” and had “never been so quiet.”
A television source stated on Wednesday night, “The abuse has been nothing short of repugnant, especially because they have done nothing wrong and were completely entitled to media accreditation in order to tell their viewers.”
“There are enormous, genuine, and grave worries for their well-being, and ITV is fully supporting them behind the scenes in response to such constant bullying. The channel fully supports them.’
ITV has already supported the duo twice in public, including via social media.
Footage inside Westminster Abbey appeared to show Holly and Phil, both 60, going down a section apart from the media box; however, ITV has stated that the stars did not file past the coffin with the mourners.
After the photographs circulated online, analogies were made to other celebrities who waited in line for hours with the common population, including England football great David Beckham and Holly and Phil’s Good Morning Britain colleague Susanna Reid.
A spokesperson for ITV has stated that broadcasters did not file past the casket of the Queen.
The official told MailOnline: ‘This Morning received press accreditation, and like other media, Phillip and Holly were brought to the press gallery by government staff. They did not pass by the coffin of the Queen.
They were present alongside other broadcasters and national press outlets for a segment that aired on Tuesday’s (20th) program. Any claims of improper conduct are simply false.
A photograph of Westminster Abbey emphasizing the location of the media box, the public line, and where Holly and Phil looked to be walking.
This diagram of Westminster Abbey depicts the public and media access zones, as well as the location where the presenters were visible.
On Wednesday’s program of This Morning, viewers expressed concern that Holly appeared to have been up all night weeping.
MailOnline disclosed that the presenters held an emotional SOS phone chat regarding the “devastating” public outrage.
A source informed MailOnline that Phil and Holly became quite concerned about the situation on Friday evening. They deliberated at length and determined that action was necessary to protect themselves and the show’s reputation.
Following the phone call, ITV issued a statement to clarify the situation, but the effort backfired badly.
They were utterly distraught when they realized that the statement had just exacerbated the situation.
At one point, they pondered publishing their own statement to clarify the situation, but ultimately chose to wait until the broadcast to address fans directly.
Photogenic: Holly and Phil in front of the Houses of Parliament. According to the two, none of the broadcasters and journalists who attended the Queen’s lying-in-state took a position in line.
Holly and Phil were seen in a TikTok video leaving Westminster Hall after filming, and they were accused of skipping the line.
The bulk of visitors waited between 14 and 16 hours to see the casket, including former England star David Beckham.
On Tuesday’s program of This Morning – the first since “queue-gate” began – Holly and Phil issued a long denial of jumping the line.
Holly stated in a voiceover over a package of the two at Westminster Hall, ‘Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists, we were granted official clearance to enter the hall.
It was solely for the purpose of reporting on the occasion for the millions of people in the United Kingdom who were unable to visit Westminster in person.
“According to the rules, we were to be swiftly taken around the perimeter to the rear platform.”
‘In contrast, mourners strolled down a carpeted area next to the casket and were given time to pause.
“None of the broadcasters and journalists in attendance took anyone’s place in line, and none passed the Queen. We naturally followed the rules.
‘However, we recognize that it may have resembled something else, so we completely comprehend the reaction. Please be aware that we would never cut in line.